Courses at Suffolk Record Office

Would you like to broaden your social circle this autumn? Meet a celebrity or two? Let us introduce you to St Edmund, King John or Samuel Pepys. Ipswich Society members interested in World War I can opt to meet Alice Packard, a farmer's wife from Shotley who kept a diary during the war, or David Empson, a twenty first century historian whose research on Suffolk soldiers has produced many tales of courage under fire. Simply set aside a Saturday morning, arrive at the relevant branch of Suffolk Record Office and prepare to enjoy one of the exciting range of talks we have put together.

With a little luck, we can even arrange for you to meet your ancestors or the people who lived in your house long before you moved in. At Ipswich Record Office, we offer a five week Introduction to Family History and a Hands on History session: ‘Who lived in your House?' The Family History sessions take place on Thursday afternoons starting Thursday 29 September; the next course for property historians is on Monday 21 November at 10.30am.

For the first time we are running Study Days: Bury Record Office presents an in-depth look at a trio of eighteenth century ‘horticultural revolutionaries' on Saturday 29 October. Here in Ipswich, we are delighted to offer an opportunity to taste medieval food and drink courtesy of food historian Monica Askay on Saturday 3 December.

To find out more, request a brochure or book a place please ring Ipswich Record Office on 01473 263910, email: ipswich.ro@suffolk.gov.uk or check out our fabulous new website www.suffolkarchives.co.uk.

Ipswich Record Office is based in a Victorian school on the corner of Bramford Road and Gatacre Road; we share the building with our dramatic ‘other half' - the Eastern Angles. Buses run from the town centre and we have a large, free car park. The Record Office is open every day except Wednesday and Sunday from 9.30am to 4.30pm. Staff are always on hand to guide you whether you are researching your home, family, sports club or a local right of way.

Amongst a wealth of other material, we hold Victorian OS maps of Ipswich, electoral rolls and street directories. Our archive includes a huge selection of photographs of Ipswich from the nineteenth century to the present day plus extensive cuttings files from the 1950s onwards. You may even find a photograph of yourself in a school play, sports team, or street party.

When our new website goes fully live this autumn, you'll be able to order research and copies of documents online. You'll even be able to download digital images (where the documents have already been scanned). Customers can already order documents online - this means your documents can be viewed as soon as you arrive. Of course, we'll still be delighted to respond to queries via email, letters and phone calls.

We know that many members of The Ipswich Society are already ‘regulars' at the Record Office but we'd like to meet more of you, either in person or online. We look forward to welcoming you this autumn.

Anne Murray

(Searchroom Assistant at Ipswich Record Office and Ipswich Society member

[N.B.: all of the Society's wonderful Image Archive slides now reside at Suffolk Record Office.]